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Health Articles Related to Neck Pain

How Does a Tens Unit Work on Muscle Spasm- Pain comes from electroechemical impulses relaying the pain message. A TENS unit interrupts this pathway. T.E.N.S stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It is often used to treat low back pain and neck pain. Tens units use a low voltage electrical current to induce pain relief. Continue Reading Article

How To Avoid Neck Pain While Doing Abs- If you do your Abdominal crunches correctly with proper form, there is no reason to suffer from neck pain or sore neck. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that involve there neck muscles while doing these exercises- that is a NO-NO. Bringing your head and neck forward puts unnecessary pressure on the neck and it is not healthy. So when you do your abdominal crunch look at the ceiling.Continue Reading Article

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Melatonin is not a Sleeping Pill

The Best Night is a Night of Deep Uninterrupted Sleep

To me, the best night is a good night of sleep. Sleep can be a hard thing to come by. I have heard of melatonin drops and pills that people can take to help them sleep. But what exactly is Melatonin? Should you take it to fall asleep every night? Here are some facts about Melatonin:

It is a natural hormone

It is secreted by the brain in the pineal gland

It gets produced when there is total darkness

It does not get produced when there is light in the room

It sets your body's circadian rhythm and controls when you wake up and fall asleep

It is an antioxidant

It is water and fat soluble so it reaches all cells in the body

It must be replenished daily

It is found in foods such as barley, oats, rice, tomatoes, cherries and walnuts

It is used by many people who work different shifts and for jet lag

Did you know that in the UK, melatonin can only be prescribed by Doctors? Here is the US we can buy it over the counter as supplements or as drops. Research shows that most people take 1-3 milligrams, but for some people taking 0.1 -0.3 milligrams is also effective to help sleep.

Many patients use this as a daily sleep aid. But keep in mind that melatonin is not a sleeping pill. This can be dangerous when patients take the wrong dosage, and wake up with headaches, grogginess, or dizziness. Too much melatonin can actually disrupt your sleep. It can also cause vivid dreams. Studies have shown that it can affect blood pressure and heart rates. It should not be taken for issues like depression, anxiety or stress.

So Melatonin may be hurting our sleep, then actually helping it. It helps to regulates your sleep. If you find yourself taking it for more than two weeks or steadily increasing your dosage- you may need to try something else for sleep. Melatonin may not be the answer. Talk to your health professional about taking Melatonin first before taking it.